Page 24 of Holding On

I think that court will always make me smile. Liam follows my gaze and his smile matches mine—he can appreciate a stealth mission. Our other brother Finn sits next to Liam at the table with Vivian’s fiancé Walker, and Savannah’s boyfriend Theo.

What’s funny is that Theo started coming to poker night well before he and Savannah ever got together, and yet, her ex-husband only came once in the thirteen years they were together. That small fact alone speaks volumes about how the two guys view our family. Needless to say, I’m happy to have Theo here.

“Are those Sprinkles cookies?” Finn jumps up. The dude has never met sugar he didn’t like. “They are so good. I have no idea how she does it, but I haven’t had a thing I didn’t like from there, and y’all know I’ve tried most of their menu.”

Walker nods. “Vivian is obsessed with their breakfast sandwiches. She claims it’s the babies craving it, but I don’t think the craving will be resolved with their arrival.” He smirks. He is unapologetically head over heels for our sister and it’s mutual on her end too. Meeting while Walker was investigating Vivian’s husband’s murder was less than ideal, but it all worked out in the end.

“And you’re just as obsessed with Vivian,” Theo adds.

“Abso-fucking-lutley.” Walker continues to grin as he picks up the hand Finn just dealt. Ever since June, the dude smiles more than I thought was physically possible for him. Walker was already planning on moving to Forrest Falls from Nashville in June, but on the day of the move, Vivian found out she was pregnant. Not to be outdone, Walker dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring that he was planning on giving her later that night.

“Yeah, still our sister, still need boundaries, bro.” Finn grimaces as the rest of us nod in agreement. We want our sisters to be happy and treated well, but boundaries are healthy for everyone.

“Changing the subject so we don’t have to punch you in the face, how are wedding plans coming along?” Liam asks as Walker laughs in response.

“Good, it’s going to be a pretty simple thing. My brothers said they have everything under control, and since it’s just family and our closest friends, I figured we can just handle any complications that may pop up,” Walker says as he throws a few chips into the pot.

“You do realize that Savannah is the maid of honor, right?” Theo asks.

Walker eyes us wearily as we chuckle. “Yeah, why?”

“She will have a contingency plan for her contingency plans. There won’t be complications, Sav will make sure of it,” I tell him.

“And if anyone causes one, may God have mercy on their souls,” Ryan adds.

Theo grins. “She’s great, isn’t she?”

We look at each other and all burst out laughing. Apparently, Walker isn’t the only one obsessed with one of our sisters.

Lucky bastards. I’m not jealous about my sisters—gross—but I do find myself experiencing a twinge of jealousy over having a relationship like that.

Or maybe it’s because I know that even though it’s fake, the douche canoe Roman Cash is putting his hands all over Tinsley.

It may be all for show, but that doesn’t lessen the sting.

Something inside of me shifts, and I don’t know what it’s going to take to make us a reality, but there’s nothing fake about my feelings for Tinsley.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“What the hell did you do now?” Rick roars as he kicks my dressing room door shut. The bodyguards outside the door are on his payroll, so I know from experience they aren’t going to do anything to intervene.

But this is different than one of his usual tirades because I can hear Debbie Jo yelling on the other side of door to let her in, but clearly, Rick told his minions to keep her out. I’ve never heard Debbie Jo yell in my life—and all my hackles are on full alert because something is really wrong if he isn’t even letting Debbie Jo come in here.

“What are you talking about? I’m getting ready for my show.” I stand and move away from my vanity. My curling irons are still on for last-minute-touch ups, and I do not want Rick to grab one of those if he’s in one of his rages.

“Your mother just called me, and apparently, your loser brother called her to inform her that I was mismanaging your career and that she needed to be aware.” He picks up a stack of metal coasters off the side table and hurls them at me one at a time, which I duck to avoid.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rick. I didn’t say anything to Wells. I don’t know what Wells told our mother, but it wasn’t me!” I cannot let him hit me in the face right before I go on stage, and there is no way I’m cancelling this show when thousands of people paid good money to see me perform. It’s not their fault that my stepfather is the absolute worst. A scuffle outside the door draws our attention briefly, and I take the opportunity to inch closer to the bathroom door. The dressing room door flies open and Allie shoves one of the guards back.

“Try me, asshole. You know I have full access without restrictions. Get the fuck out of my way, you useless pieces of shit,” Allie barks at them and turns to take in the room, including the vanity mirror that one of the coasters just shattered. “What the actual fuck is going on in here?”

“This doesn’t involve you. This is family business. You need to leave,” Rick snaps as spittle flies from his reddening face, jabbing his finger at the door, just as one of his thugs closes it while another holds a distraught Debbie Jo back. He must really be off his rocker if he thinks Allie is going to listen to anything he tells her to do.

“I am her family, asshole. Unlike you—you just married her mother after your best friend kicked the bucket. Tinsley, are you okay?” Allie moves toward me, which is a mistake. She should not move between me and Rick when he’s like this. But God help me, I can’t tell her everything is okay when it so very clearly is not.

I am so incredibly tired of all the lies.

“No. I'm not ... none of this is okay.” I barely say above a whisper, but it’s loud enough for Rick to hear. He roars as he moves faster than I expect and his hands shove my shoulders back, throwing my entire body into the wall.